Old Theater (Dessau)
The Alte Theater am Lily-Herking -Platz is a theater of the Anhaltisches Theater with a café-restaurant on the site of the court theater building on Kavalierstrasse in Dessau-Roßlau, which was destroyed by a major fire in 1922 .
history
The representative entrance building of the Ducal Court Theater on Kavalierstrasse, built by Friedrich Wilhelm von Erdmannsdorff in 1798, with the characteristic Corinthian columns and the concert hall on the upper floor was only built in 1820/1822 according to plans by Carlo Ignazio Pozzi with figurative facade decorations by Schadow's student Friedemann Hunold . This "reception" of the court theater survived the theater fire of 1855 and in particular the total fire destruction of the court theater building on 25/26. January 1922 each with damage to be restored at great expense. Most of the actors and helpers survived the fire that broke out during a rehearsal with injuries, while the singer Lily Herking and the hairdresser Ernst Kirkamm died in the flames. Delayed by inflation, the city and the theater foundation only decided in 1926 to repair the fire damage. According to plans by the architect Kurt Elster , who was committed to the New Objectivity , a concert and chamber theater with 360 seats and in the so-called theater building the “Konzert-Kaffee Altes Theater ” with a pastry shop, wine bar, event rooms and own wine shop were built. The house made a name for itself especially through its “artist concerts”, and for the summer season 1928 a concert garden was built in the foundation walls of the burned-out and demolished auditorium. The Allied air raids on May 28, 1944 and March 7, 1945 destroyed the old theater and theater building , and the ruins of the former entrance building and the remains of the portico were removed by 1966. A residential and commercial building was built in its place. The burned-out theater building was partially restored by 1953 and served as the cultural center of the Dessau energy supply company until 1990.
Todays use
In the mid-1990s, the theater building was gutted and preparatory work was carried out for a later revitalization as a venue for the theater ensemble. Finally, the urban redevelopment with the help of the URBAN II program from 2004 onwards offered the possibility of resuming and completing work in connection with a redesign of the surrounding city quarter: venues for puppet theater and drama were created in old theater building floor plans, also by independent theater groups and for theater-educational projects can be used. The " Altes Theater café-restaurant " was newly built in the adjoining residential and commercial building . After numerous interested parties were able to experience the premises and the season opening (pre-) performances of the play on the day of urban redevelopment on September 12, 2008, the “ Altes Theater cultural center ” with café-restaurant, studio stage and new hall of the Puppet Theater Dessau officially opened for regular operation with premieres of the puppet theater company and the play.
At the beginning of the 2013/14 season, the young director David Ortmann and Sabeth Braun were appointed dramaturg to manage the venue.
Since autumn 2015, Sabeth Braun has taken over the management of the venue.
literature
- Rudi Huhn: From the court theater via the “Altes Theater” coffee house to the “Altes Theater” cultural center . Manuela Kinzel Verlag, Dessau 2008, ISBN 978-3-937367-22-4 .
- Michael Paduch (Red.): Cultural Center Old Theater . City of Dessau-Roßlau / URBAN II office, Dessau-Roßlau 2008.
- Hartmut Runge: Dessau theater pictures. On the 200 year history of the theater in Dessau . Anhaltische Verlagsgesellschaft, Dessau 1994, ISBN 3-910192-27-0 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Anhalt history , source: One hundred and forty years of theater in Dessau . Dünnhaupt Verlag, Dessau 1938. ( Memento of the original from October 29, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
Coordinates: 51 ° 50 ′ 0 " N , 12 ° 14 ′ 35.5" E